"Friends" appeared in the Top 10, peaking at number nine for one week on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at number three on the Hot Black Singles chart and number seven on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song also chart on the Australian Singles Chart # 80, the Canadian Singles Chart at # 11, the Dutch Singles Chart at #25, the German Singles Chart at #15, the Irish Singles Chart at #25, the New Zealand Singles Chart at #31, and the Swiss Singles Chart at #20.
In 2006, Watley remade the once successful song for her recent release of The Makeover, on her Avitone Records label, uniquely titled "Friendz," featuring rapper Voshaun Gotti.
Friends
Jody Watley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By someone you thought was really cool
Did they steal your heart or was it money
Or was it lies they told
Strangers just disguised as your friends
Never again ?cause now you know
That friends will let you down
When you need them most
Where are your friend
Friends are hard to find
Friends, yours and mine
I'm talkin' ?bout your friends
Smiles they hide behind
Never know what's on their mind
Could be true deception
Jealousy and envy reign
They never want to see you get ahead
They just hold you back
Friends will let you down
Friends won't be around
When you need them most
Where are your friend, oh, oh
Friends are hard to find
Friends, yours and mine
I'm talkin' ?bout your friends
Friends are hard to find, so be careful
You could find an inch or mile if I pay you
But some ain't that bad, but one might back stab
To get the fake tips of what one might have
Bite the hand that feeds you, leave the people who need you
For those who hold you back and mislead you
To be a needle, don't get lead on unleaded
The wrong direction, a dead end's next then
Heed the detour, life's like a seesaw
The ups and downs, and I'll bet there'll be more
Potholes and obstacles in our path, that's righteous
At times you need a hand to fight this
Way of life, straighten up, take the door to the placid
And don't you act two-faced
?Cause jealousy and envy, and you still act friendly
You could find the end and pretend to be
Friends will let you down
Friends won't be around
When you need them most
Where are your friends, yeah
Friends are hard to find
Friends, yours and mine
I'm talkin' ?bout your friends
Used to me kiss me, tell me you missed me
But now you try to glaze me, play me and diss me
Uh, wide awake, ready to break, so we argue
What happened to the kisses, and, "Why, how are you?"
Forgot about the times when I rhymed when I bathed you
Dreams was the only little things that I gave you
You still ain't thankful, you're still complainin'
Used to be a quiet storm, but now it's rainin'
Farther than ever, I'm thinkin' whether
If we should be friends, let it end, is it better
To forget or remember, your body's tender
The rhymes that I send her, makes her surrender
The feeling of capture, caught in a rapture
No woman can match ya, so when I'm lookin' at ya
Paint a perfect picture so you can remember me
But you can find the end if you pretend to be
Friends will let you down
Friends won't be around
When you need them most
Where are your friends, oh, oh
Friends are hard to find
Friends, yours and mine
I'm talkin' ?bout your friends
Friends will let you down
Friends won't be around
When you need them most
Where are your friends, yeah
Friends are hard to find
Friends, yours and mine
The song "Friends" by Jody Watley is a cautionary tale about the people we consider our friends. The lyrics describe the feelings of betrayal and disappointment experienced by someone who has been stabbed in the back by someone they believed was a true friend. The writer questions the motivations of these supposed friends, wondering if it was greed, jealousy or simply malicious intent that caused them to turn on her. She warns the listener to be careful in whom they trust and not to be fooled by people who hide their true selves behind a friendly smile.
The song also presents the idea that friendships can be elusive and difficult to maintain. The writer emphasizes the importance of being cautious when building relationships with others since not everyone has good intentions. The chorus of the song repeats the sentiment that friends can let you down and won't be there when you need them most, highlighting the importance of appreciating true friends when they are found.
"Friends" was well received in the music industry and helped Jody Watley establish herself as a solo artist after being a member of the popular funk band Shalamar. The song was a hit on the R&B charts in the US and peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you ever been stabbed in the back
Have you ever been betrayed by someone you trusted?
By someone you thought was really cool
By someone you thought was a good person
Did they steal your heart or was it money
Did they take advantage of you emotionally or financially?
Or was it lies they told
Or did they deceive you with false information?
Strangers just disguised as your friends
People you thought were your friends turned out to be strangers
Never again ?cause now you know
You won't let it happen again because you learned from your experience
That friends will let you down
Friends may disappoint you
Friends won't be around
Friends may not be there for you when you need them
When you need them most
Especially during times when you need support the most
Where are your friend
Where are all your friends?
Friends are hard to find
It's difficult to find true friends
Friends, yours and mine
Friends belong to everyone
I'm talkin' ?bout your friends
I'm discussing the topic of friends
Smiles they hide behind
They may smile but hide their true feelings
Never know what's on their mind
It's hard to tell what they're really thinking
Could be true deception
It could be real deceit
Jealousy and envy reign
Jealousy and envy can take over
They never want to see you get ahead
They don't want you to succeed
They just hold you back
They prevent you from moving forward
Friends are hard to find, so be careful
It's hard to find true friends, so be cautious
You could find an inch or mile if I pay you
You can find people willing to act like friends if you pay them
But some ain't that bad, but one might back stab
Some people are not terrible, but one of them may betray you
To get the fake tips of what one might have
To learn about what they don't really possess
Bite the hand that feeds you, leave the people who need you
To betray those who helped you and abandon those who rely on you
For those who hold you back and mislead you
For the people who stand in your way and give you wrong directions
To be a needle, don't get lead on unleaded
To be sharp and focused, don't let yourself get misled
The wrong direction, a dead end's next then
If you go the wrong way, you'll reach a dead end eventually
Heed the detour, life's like a seesaw
Pay attention to the alternate path, life has its ups and downs
The ups and downs, and I'll bet there'll be more
There will be more positive and negative experiences in life
Potholes and obstacles in our path, that's righteous
Difficulties and challenges are part of life
At times you need a hand to fight this
Sometimes you need help to confront these obstacles
Way of life, straighten up, take the door to the placid
This is how life is, so adjust, and choose peace
And don't you act two-faced
Don't be hypocritical or deceitful
Cause jealousy and envy, and you still act friendly
Envy and jealousy can make you pretend to be friendly
You could find the end and pretend to be
You may reach the end pretending to be someone you're not
Used to me kiss me, tell me you missed me
You used to be affectionate and tell me you missed me
But now you try to glaze me, play me and diss me
Now you try to deceive and disrespect me
Uh, wide awake, ready to break, so we argue
We're alert and ready to argue
What happened to the kisses, and, "Why, how are you?"
What happened to the affection and care?
Forgot about the times when I rhymed when I bathed you
You forgot the romantic times we shared
Dreams was the only little things that I gave you
My love and dreams were the only things I gave you
You still ain't thankful, you're still complainin'
You're still unappreciative and complaining
Used to be a quiet storm, but now it's rainin'
I used to be calm, but now it's chaos
Farther than ever, I'm thinkin' whether
I'm thinking if we're more distant than ever before
If we should be friends, let it end, is it better
If we should continue being friends or end our relationship for the better
To forget or remember, your body's tender
To forget or remember, your body is fragile
The rhymes that I send her, makes her surrender
My love and poetry make her submit
The feeling of capture, caught in a rapture
The feeling of being trapped and captivated
No woman can match ya, so when I'm lookin' at ya
No woman can compare to you, so when I'm admiring you
Paint a perfect picture so you can remember me
Leave a perfect image in your mind so you won't forget me
But you can find the end if you pretend to be
You may reach the end pretending to be someone you're not
Friends will let you down
Friends may disappoint you
Friends won't be around
Friends may not be there for you when you need them
When you need them most
Especially during times when you need support the most
Where are your friends, yeah
Where are all your friends?
Friends are hard to find
It's difficult to find true friends
Friends, yours and mine
Friends belong to everyone
I'm talkin' ?bout your friends
I'm discussing the topic of friends
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERIC BARRIER, ANDRE CYMONE, WILLIAM GRIFFIN, JODY V WATLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rfast10430
Model looks, can write her own songs, and sing and dance. She is the complete package.
@BoobooThaFooI
I just saw her in concert on August 14 and she’s 63 now. I was just in awe! She’s beautiful vibrant and was so encouraging and uplifting to the audience. She did this song, looking for a new love and more. The highlight of my birth month
@gavanmitchell9516
Was the complete package
@fuferito
Yup. And she spits Rakim's rhymes when he's not performing with her, like she did on Arsenio, back in the day.
@Bishop98409
this is a classic and people dont even know how important this track is, its the first ever successful marrage of Hip Hop/R&B that people still use today
@kittied4482
Blondie was first
@reggiebarker5964
I FORGOT, SI REMIND ME DID BLONDIE COLAB WIT A HIP ⭐
@darrenjones5533
Blonde was dope bur not hip hop or r&b. Pop.
@IceManLikeGervin
1984: Chaka Khan ft Melle Mel- I Feel For You
1985: Rene & Angela ft Kurtis Blow- Save Your Love (For #1)
1988: Rick James ft Roxanne Shante- Loosey’s Rap
1988: Midnight Star ft Ecstacy (from Whodini)- Don’t Rock The Boat
1988: LeVert ft Heavy D- Just Coolin'
1989: Joyce “Fenderella” Irby ft Doug E Fresh- Mr DJ
1989: O’Jays ft Jaz- Have You Had Your Love Today?
1989: Al B Sure ft Slick Rick- If I’m Not Your Lover (Remix)
@SignatureSignsSouthampton24
@IceManLikeGervin rap with R&B goes back as far as the 50s with the Jackson 5. Hip hop with R&B , well that's a different story